ABOUT
A BIT ABOUT HARRY
Harry was born and raised in Queensland Australia, and had a typical ‘Blue Collar’ Childhood…. on turning 17yrs Harry joined the Australian Army, and served in the premier Battalion of the Australian Army, ‘1 RAR’…. His term of service in Infantry, posted to Townsville FNQ, included Specialist Training in Reconnaissance and Heavy Weapons, and included a ‘Tour’ to Somalia in Africa in 1993, at just 19yrs of age! Somalia at the time was in the grip of a famine, that was being further exacerbated by roaming gangs of armed men, fighting for control of what little food and other supplies were available…… An International Coalition of the Willing, took steps to bring law & order, and for Australia’s commitment 1RAR got the job, led by a very much younger, David Hurley, (whom is now his Excellency the Governor of NSW …… I’d like to suggest that our combined efforts ‘made’ D. H’s career!!) While effectively considered a Peace Keeping Mission, Dave was fond of referring to us as “Peace-Makers” as there was no shortage of hairy moments during this seemingly ‘adventure of lifetime’ tour of War-Torn, Horn of Africa. Collectively all members of the Australian commitment were awarded with the AASM (Australian Active Service Medal) with all the Infantry within that group also gaining the ICB (Infantry Combat Badge).
Harry ended 6 years of Service in 1996, and embarked on his first business as a Mobile Spit Roast Caterer in Cairns. After giving ‘civilian life’ a solid go, the War on Terror beckoned Harry back to his true calling in the ADF and he re-enlisted, at 29yrs of age, this time specialising in Armoured Reconnaissance, as a member of 2 CAV, which once again saw him serve overseas in the War on Terror’s mis-adventure in Iraq, Twice. The first tour, whose primary responsibility was for the protection of the Australian Embassy, saw many and varied moments of action, including repeated efforts by Al Qaeda, to disrupt the coalition effort to hold upcoming elections due to take place on the 30/1/2005….
The ‘event’ that had the biggest personal impact was a Suicide Bombers Attack on Harrys Armoured Convoy, on the 26th of January (Australia Day!!) 2005… Harry was wounded during this attack, however whilst ‘wounded’ continued on for his mates, stepping up and assuming the Vehicle Commanders Roll, as the Vehicle commander’s wounds were such that he was ‘out of the game’…… in the aftermath it was discovered that 13 separate fragmentation wounds peppered the exposed parts, while both his heavily armoured vest, and helmet were damaged beyond repair…… Harry was later awarded the ‘COMMENDATION for DISTINGUISHED SERVICE’…… the first ever ‘digger’ rank to achieve such recognition …… After casevac and subsequent treatment for his wounds, Harry returned to full time duties, and in time found himself back in Iraq, this time in the Southern Desert, carrying out ‘classic’ Cavalry Operations, this tour being seemingly lower key than Baghdad, but not without its share of Action… Not long after this Harry departed from the Australian Army, and found himself in Alice Springs, as the Owner and Manager of a Crash Repair Shop, which in time saw the birth of ‘Harrys Fly Whips’…
THE FLATS
At the time of Harry’s 1st tour of Iraq, the Australian Base of Operations was being operated in the ‘Red Zone’ of downtown Baghdad, co-located with the Australian Embassy, while a more secure Embassy was being constructed in the U.S lead/protected ‘Green Zone’… The Base was affectionately known as the ‘FLATS’ as it was located in the incomplete shell of a 10 Story Building, that happened to be neighbors with the existing Australian Embassy, (from before the start of the War). As the ‘Flats’ was the tallest building for quite some distance, and in a direct line for the trajectory of rockets into the ‘Green Zone’ (and therefore an ‘aiming’ marker) it was not uncommon for the sound of rockets ‘sizzling’ overhead, to accompany the break of dawn… however, during the build-up to elections, enemy action really started to ramp-up, and the ‘Flats’ were regularly targeted, most notably with a direct rocket attack which ‘luckily’ struck an unoccupied floor of the 10 Story building, as well as other buildings around it (the ‘homemade’ & quite ingenious rocket launcher is now on permanent display at the Australian War Memorial) …. Approximately a week later, a gigantic suicide truck-bomb attack occurred on the 19/1/2005, which effectively destroyed the first 2 layers of perimeter security walls as well ripping off the face of the building. What is left of the truck chassis can be seen in the accompanying pic, imagine the destructive power it takes to reduce a complete dump truck to that smoldering ruin!! As the threat level continued to rise, the decision was made to move the Australian Base of Operations into the ‘Green Zone’ with Harry’s ‘rotation’ being the last to occupy fortifications in the ‘Red Zone’…
THE ‘HARRY’S FLY WHIPS’ STORY
Many moons ago, while living in the Central Desert of Australia, Harry would walk his dog everyday and be hassled/stalked by Culicomorpha (the common Black Fly) from dawn to dusk. Like many others experiencing these annoying flies, a ‘swish’ plucked from a tree or shrub would generally suffice. Concerned that the bush surrounding his home was going to be equivalent to ‘deforestation’ at the rate he was “swishing”, he decided a more sustainable option was needed and set about making a “swish” out of discarded canvas (an old car seat cover to be exact!!)
Other early morning dog walkers were pretty impressed by his newly created “swish” and coined the term “Fly Whip’… and so ‘HARRY’S FLY WHIPS” was born.
A ‘2nd Generation prototype was created using canvas from a local upholsterer, at which time design registration was considered, and taken out. Little did Harry know how the challenges of bringing an ‘idea’ to the point of manufacture, particularly with the desire for ‘Harrys FlyWhips’ to be an all-Australian creation. One of the most important elements of ‘Harry’s Fly Whips’ was the desire for it to be as ‘AUSTRALIAN’ as possible and with that in mind, Harry was determined to source 100% Australian cotton. In addition to this, jigs were designed and constructed to ensure uniformity of the finished product, local and interstate metal fabricators were contracted to produce the jigs, to allow production to begin. The first production quality whips were hand cut utilizing the jigs and hand sewn.
Many attempts were made with the initial batch, via branding, Stenciling & Painting etc with only limited success… even though a thoroughly usable, durable product was at hand, the way to successfully ‘brand it’ alluded Harry… little did they know, the breakthrough was in the seemingly unlikely State Prison System of the Northern Territory!!!!
You see, Harry had a friend who had unfortunately run a-foul of the law via an embezzlement / gambling problem, he consequently ended up in Prison, for an extended stay….. Of all the 100’s of people that knew him in the outside world, a literal handful took the time to visit him during his stay at Alice Springs Prison, not wanting him to feel forgotten during this challenging time, Harry would visit him monthly. During this same time, development had started to take place of the fledgling FlyWhip & with the consideration that ‘intellectual property’ was at stake, and considering that a prisoner was the least likely person in the world to be able to ‘exploit’ someone else’s idea, Harry told him of the fledgling product at hand. Little did he know that his friend had obtained work in the prison trades section, and they were supremely equipped to go into full scale production, including the elusive way to brand the whip, via a Computer driven Laser etching machine… A meeting was quickly sort with the prison authorities, and a tour of the facility confirmed that everything required to go into full scale production was at hand, and by happy coincidence the prison was also searching for a customer to the recently fitted out facility, with little success until that day.
The pursuit of a different line of employment saw Harry and his family move away from Alice Springs, prior to enough stock being on hand to ‘launch’ Harrys FlyWhips in any sustainable way, and before you knew it, a couple more years had passed, while the Prison workshops continued to slowly build up stock levels…… In January of 2020, Harry finally headed out onto the road, and very quickly, the very well received idea was stocked in 35 different locations across QLD the NT & SA….. and then the world ground to a halt less than 3 months later…… despite the seemingly endless challenges of the ‘New World Order’ Harrys FlyWhips has continued to grow, all be it at a slower pace than anticipated….. Harrys FlyWhips are now stocked in select locations in Victoria & Tasmania as well, with plans to expand to NSW & WA as soon as things stabilise…..
FAST FORWARD TO 2023
There ain’t no flies on us, there ain’t no flies on us – there may be flies on some of you guys but there ain’t no flies on us!”
Harry’s Fly Whips is the answer to the age old problem of flying pests. virtually indestructable, the durable design and manufacture of the whip ensures that you will always have at hand, a way to ‘shoo’ flies and other insects away from your personal space, while also being able to speak/eat/drink, etc. other fly mitagation/deterent products, restrict and annoy, clog pores, and generally cause associated distress, leading to there reduced use, at the cost of personal discomfort. Australia is a Beautiful Country that deserves to be explored, Australia is also reknown for its wildlife, however with all animals comes the unfortunate by-product that means there is always going to be an abundance of Culicomorpha (Black Fly)…
Harry’s Fly Whips is very proud to be associated with the NT Prisons System (see “THE STORY” for more information), providing an opportunity for individuals who’ve unfortunately found themselves afoul of the law to undergo training to better themselves and offer skills that may be utilized to assist them in employment & better life choices post sentencing/release. To this end the Prisons also produce the distinctive wooden stands that accompany the whips in retail outlets.